


Other Side

by mricj



Category: To the Moon Series (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Missing Scene, Old Friends, Pre-Canon, Slice of Life, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28210062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mricj/pseuds/mricj
Summary: On one side of the city, River remembers an old friend. On the other side of it, Colin forgets about his past.
Relationships: Colin Reeds/Sofia Reeds, Johnny Wyles/River Wyles
Kudos: 4





	Other Side

**Author's Note:**

> As soon as Paper Memories came out, I started working on this. It isn't until now, years later, that I actually managed to finish it.

Being far from home isn’t the sort of thing either of them isn’t used to, and even then, it doesn’t matter: the moment Colin’s feet touch the airport, he’s rushing home. Sofia has never enjoyed spending countless nights by herself, especially not as a married woman, and in the end, it isn’t as if Colin’s much different.

And yet…

“You’re home,” It’s the first thing either of them say, and even then, Colin isn’t surprised. Sofia has never been a morning person, and the fact it’s the first time she’s seeing her husband since Thursday clearly doesn’t do much to affect her mood.

Scoffing, Colin adds a beat later, “You don't sound happy about that.”

“Of course I’m happy,” Wrapping her arms around him, Sofia rolls her eyes, before pulling Colin inside, and at this point, it’s part of their routine: she presses her lips against his lips, before pressing another one on his cheek and then, on the tip of his nose. “Just surprised since I didn’t expect to see you until the afternoon. _And_ it’s early.”

Helping him get rid of his jacket, it isn’t until then that Sofia lets go of him. She presses it against her nose, and it smells like him and something else completely different, and right then, Sofia knows it needs to be washed before his next shift.

The thought doesn’t cross Colin’s mind. Instead, his attention is on the lonely, unopened envelope resting on the counter. “What’s this?”

“It arrived for you on Monday,” And, hanging it, Sofia approaches him. She places one of her hands on Colin’s shoulder, and trying to sound as casual as possible, she pretends the unopened envelope hasn’t been eating her up since it’s arrived. “And. Well. I wasn’t going to open it. Obviously.”

“Obviously.”

He isn’t as fast as she hopes, but at Sofia’s request, Colin starts getting rid of the envelope before putting it aside, and right then, she doesn’t bother hiding her excitement or her curiosity, and soon enough, both of them can see it clearly: it’s a wedding invitation, of all things.

“Pretty,” Her fingers are as gentle as possible as Sofia takes the invitation from him, and as she does so, Sofia can’t help but brush her fingers all over it. She doesn’t remember ever seeing such colors at a wedding before. It’s one of the darkest shades of blue, and that’s almost enough to take over it completely. Almost, because there are some gold and silver to it as well, and on top of it, it’s almost as if there are hundreds and hundreds of stars.

But Sofia doesn’t think about it for long, no. Before she knows it, something else is catching her eyes, “Oh, ‘Mr. Reeds and family’? Seems like I’m invited as well.”

_Please, join us for THE WEDDING of RIVER ELIZABETH WILSON and JOHNATHAN HARRISON WYLES._

“Weird name,” She mumbles to no one in particular but herself, and it isn’t until then that Sofia sees it: the address, and as much as her husband is a private man and would rather keep one thing or two to himself, things not even Sofia can place her fingers on, the place Colin has spent most of his life in has never been one of them. 

Tapping the golden letters once again, Sofia manages to catch Colin’s attention, “You grew up there, didn’t you?”

Frowning, it’s Colin’s turn to take the invitation from her hands, and leaving his coffee mug unattended for a moment, he focuses on the information before him. Focuses on both the names and the address, and as far as Colin remembers, it isn’t near his parent’s building or the school he attended, but it isn’t far either, and, at last, he shrugs.

The invitation is handed back to Sofia now, and Colin brings the coffee mug to his lips. Before taking a sip, he mumbles. “Close enough.”

Neither of them has friends living there, and if they do, Colin doesn’t remember any of them, and aside from his parents and some of Sofia’s extended family, he doesn’t know anyone there anymore.

“River Wilson and Johnathan Wyles,” Sofia repeats. She has met some of Colin’s co-workers, and although Sofia isn’t the best when it comes to remembering names, she does remember one of the pilots is getting married in the upcoming summer. She does doubt Colin’d forget about them, though. “Are you sure it doesn’t ring any bells?”

Scratching the back of his neck, Colin tries his hardest to remember, tries to find an answer to her question. The name is familiar, that’s for sure, resting on the back of his mind, but, in the end, he can’t quite place his finger on it.

“None. Sorry,” And at last, Colin settles for that, and laughing, he shrugs, placing his coffee mug on the coffee table. As much as it bothers him, part of him is ready to forget about it and go on with his day. “I don’t know.”

And it isn’t until then that another thought crosses her mind, it isn’t until then that something else hits her, and Sofia has never been one to keep her thoughts to herself, especially not when it comes to Colin. Licking her lower lip, Sofia places the invitation down on the coffee table before leaning into him and wrapping her arms tightly around him. Whispering, almost as if she’s scared someone else is listening to them, Sofia continues. “Is River an ex-girlfriend?”

There isn’t enough time for her words to register, but as soon as they do, Colin finds himself getting flustered. His cheeks and ears are burning, and he doesn’t need to look himself in the mirror to know he’s as bright as a tomato. 

“O-of course not, ‘fia,” He tries to say, his voice getting caught in his throat as he does so. Struggling to even as much as to find the right thing to tell her. 

Because, in the end, there has never been anyone aside from Sofia. Sure, Colin has had crushes here and there before both of them met, but Sofia has been his first girlfriend and his first love, and he has never wanted someone so bad. Has never even as much as dreamed of being with someone that isn’t her, has never loved someone as much as he loves her now, and regardless of how many times he’s said it, part of Sofia doesn’t believe it. It’s one of those things he has come to accept as time passed. 

Unfortunately for Colin, though, that only motivates Sofia to continue with her teasing. Her grip tightening around him, Sofia drops two, three, four pecks on the skin of his neck, breathing his scent in. 

“C’mon,” Sofia mumbles against him. Colin ends up spending a lot of time out and having him around, so close to her, almost hurts. “You can tell me. I’m your wife, and you know I don’t get jealous easily.” 

“Do you honestly think I’d forget about an ex-girlfriend?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” She isn’t picking a fight, doesn’t want to pick a fight, really, but there is some passive-aggressiveness to her tone. It doesn’t have anything to do with River Wilson and Johnathan Wyles or their upcoming wedding, but it’s there, clear as day, and there isn’t much Sofia can do to make it stop. “You never tell me anything.”

(It has something to do with Colin being so distant more often than not. Something to do with him not trusting Sofia enough with whatever has been bothering for as long as both of them have known each other, perhaps even longer.)

He has just arrived home, and as much as Sofia’d rather be doing something else, something that doesn’t involve stressing over Colin’s weird mood swings or his beloved secrets, it isn’t like she can stop herself now and, sighing, she continues. Tries to explain herself better. “Sometimes, even when you’re here, you’re never truly here, Colin.” 

Moments ago, Sofia had been teasing him, and not much longer after that, it’s gone. This time around, both of them know it isn’t a joke, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to recover the once easygoing mood between them. Once calmer, Sofia finds herself smiling at him, her fingers finding his hair, brushing it off his face. Looking into Colin’s eyes, she says. “You always have your head up in the clouds.”

“Well, I do fly planes for a living,” He laughed, the smile never once leaving his face, and taking Sofia’s hands in his, Colin brings it to his lips before pressing a kiss against it. She has little to no time to register it: before either of them knows it, it’s gone, their hands returning to his lap as his thumb caresses her soft skin. 

Sofia leans against him, sinking into his touch, and in the end, it doesn’t matter: heads up in the clouds or not, she’d never regret having him around. Sighing, Sofia drops another kiss on his shoulder, and once she finds her voice again, she continues, her tone much gentler and softer now. “I’m going to keep it right here.”

As Sofia says it, she pats the coffee table. The wedding invitation remains there, unmoved. It sits next to Colin’s forgotten, cold coffee mug and Sofia’s hibiscus’ pot, near some of their unpaid bills and many unread letters. 

“Whatever you choose,” Taking his hand in hers, Sofia squeezes it as she tells him one more time. “I’m going with it.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://mricg.tumblr.com/) .


End file.
